While I was out of town for Residency Weekend, one of my lil’ monkeys had an accident on an inflatable that dislocated a permanent tooth. Thankfully, the ortho was able to save the tooth, but now one of my 1st graders wears braces. His follow-up appointment is later this week, which is when I hope to learn how long he’ll be wired.

In the meantime, he is restricted to soft/mushy foods and liquids. I’ve tried to be creative with his lunches, so he usually takes things like applesauce, yogurt, pudding, Jello/fruit cups, etc. We’ve also done soup (I don’t have a Thermos, so I sent it in a travel coffee mug – LOL) a couple of days.

He also can’t participate in any rowdy activities, which greatly restricts his involvement in PE and kids’ church, but he’s still getting plenty of exercise. Long story short, I feel like he’s missing out on eating and doing things that his brothers get to do and eat. How little I knew that there was some jealousy brewing … toward him!

I guess it’s a matter of special treatment. Even though his “special” alternatives don’t seem all that great to him, most of the time, I found out this morning that one of his brothers felt left out. No. 4 came up to me after breakfast with those puppy eyes that he’s so adept at using and asked: “Mom, if someday when I’m a teenager or something and maybe I’ll need to get braces, can you make me soup in my lunch, too?”

I suggested that he ask me what he really wanted to ask me. If he wanted soup for lunch, all he needed to do was ask, and I’d try to make it happen. I told him that I didn’t know he would like that, but instead of asking me in a round-about way, just say what you need to say.

I keep a shopping list on the fridge, and now it has “Thermos” on it. I’d better buy a few.